The Stanley Cup riot was really shocking, mainly because it unfolded on live TV as many of us were glued to the images.

Understandably people were upset to watch as those behind the destruction flipped police cars, broke windows and looted stores. The most disturbing part of the night was when supposed Canucks fans starting beating up other fans who tried to intervene to protect property and those being assaulted.

Fortunately no one died, but dozens were injured.

Now policitians are committing what will no doubt be millions of dollars to a task force assigned to find those who committed criminal acts during the riot. Then there will be the inquiry, announced by Premier Christy Clark Friday, to review what went wrong. Gee, didn’t we do that back in 1994? And apparently it made no difference to the outcome last Wednesday.

Clark is also speaking out about how she wants rioters to go to jail and be banned from the streets of Vancouver. Realistically, that is not going to happen. People who broke windows, looted and committed other acts of vandalism will likely be fined and told to do community service more than a year from now if their cases ever go to court.

My colleague Chad Skelton talked to Crown spokesman Neil MacKenzie Friday who recounted what happened to the vandals that stormed through the same downtown streets on the opening days of the 2010 Olympics. Just six people ended up being charged (there was video footage and media photos of their actions as well.) Two of the charges were later stayed. One accused was sent to alternative measures, meaning a counselling course or some community service in lieu of a prosecution. And two people pleaded guilty and got conditional discharges. A sixth accused, charged with assaulting a peace officer, still has not gone to trial.

If Premier Clark really wants these matters dealt with quickly and effectively, I suggest removing the vandalism and theft cases from the judicial system all together. There would be conditions: suspects would have to come forward by a certain date, take responsibility for what they did and agree to pay restitution. The deal would be that if meet all those conditions, they wouldn’t face charges – as long as no one was physically assaulted or hurt by their actions. It would be like a mini-truth commission – forcing people to be accountable to their community, but outside of the judicial system.

That way police could focus their energy and resources on the crimes of violence where people were attacked, assaulted and otherwise injured and on any repeat offenders in the crowd. Those cases should result in charges and a trip through the justice system. But to spend huge resources to prosecute people who broke windows is not necessarily the best use of scarce public funds. And we know that prosecutors and others in the court system are already stretched thin as they attempt to deal with more serious criminal matters (murders, shootings, rape, organized crime!)

A review is still a good idea. Chief Jim Chu says it was his decision how many officers to deploy without political interference. Premier Clark said she committed all the resources that were requested. Mayor Gregor Robertson claims there was no advance warning of trouble. The Vancouver Police Union says there was indeed advance warning a riot would take place. And I have talked to others who say there were Facebook comments about kids planning to riot. There is a lot of conflicting information flying around.

Vancouver Courier reporter Mike Howell talked to both Chu and City Manager Penny Ballem right before the riot – with both still maintaining everything would be fine.

Retired Vancouver Police Detective Bob Cooper wrote a column in which he says Chief Chu likely wishes he could take back his comments to Howell. Cooper also quotes his many police sources who are raising their own questions about how the riot was managed by the powers that be.

“There are a lot of questions about whether there were enough cops deployed downtown and whether the decision to transition from `Meet and Greet’ to `Hats & Bats’ was made quickly enough and I’ve been hearing them from cops all day,” Cooper says.

44 Comment(s) for What to do in the Aftermath of the Stanley Cup Riot?

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM—————-Perhaps we excuse criminal behavior because we are in the habit of excusing our own irresponsible and selfish behavior. Many people today believe in what is called ‘situational ethics’. This is a fancy term for ‘anything goes, I do what I feel like’. Many are in rebellion against strict moral codes. It is true these codes often led to hypocrisy. But the rebellion against them is no better. Hypocrisy or ‘so-called goodness’ breeds its opposite, the ‘apparently bad’. Perhaps criminals can see the hypocrisy in society better than others. Unable or unwilling to reconcile the situation, they rebel against the established order. Rather than focus on our own conduct, it is always easier to create a scapegoat – the horrible criminal, delinquent or drug pusher. The evening news repeats this theme daily. Who would watch the news if it reported that crime might be OUR fault for not living up to the Judeo-Christian principles we espouse? Many busy themselves feeling sorry for criminals, feeling sorry for the victims or becoming an ‘advocate’ for prison reform or gun control, instead of putting their own house in order. It is a subtle way to assuage their guilt and avoid looking at their own lifestyles..

I believe a LARGE element that contributed to people self justifying their own participation or the participation of their their own children in the riot is the permissiveness and lack of personal responsibility that has overtaken our society over the last number of years. Parents are no longer solely responsible for their children. Criminals are no longer responsible for their repetitive criminal actions. Fathers are no longer held financially responsible for the children they sire. Drug addicts are not responsible for their addictions. Everything is a social problem. Now the atmosphere of mayhem created by ‘others’ (even the police) is being blamed for individual people committing criminal acts. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IS A ++DECISION++ SOLELY OF THE PERSON INVOLVED. Only a defense lawyer would try to convince society otherwise. Thousands of credible and respectful young Canadian citizens chose not to participate. They are Canada’s bright future.

Rude,violent,miserable,dangerous,narsistic,drunk,high on E,and goofy are a few words to describe Vancouver on any given day.Keep your negative attitudes at home when you stray into the rest of North America.Punks.

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM———–Rioting can carry a life sentence Under Sections 67-68 of the Criminal Code of Canada, a public official may read what’s colloquially called the “Riot Act” in order to disperse an unruly crowd: “Her Majesty the Queen charges and commands all persons being assembled immediately to disperse and peaceably to depart to their habitations or to their lawful business on the pain of being guilty of an offence for which, on conviction, they may be sentenced to imprisonment for life.” People who do not “peaceably disperse” within 30 minutes are “guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for life.”

RCMP have NO POLICY on Crowd CONTROL??? The RCMP, a key member of the Integrated Security Unit that policed Toronto’s G20 summit, does not practice “kettling” – one of the more contentious tactics used by security forces during the June weekend, when hundreds of people were penned on a downtown corner for hours in the rain. A look inside the G20 ‘kettle’ at Queen and Spadina Toronto Police launches investigation against its own officers for G20 incident Toronto officer charged with another G20 beating PHOTO GALLERY Portraits of the ‘kettled’ Toronto police chief Bill Blair later said that many people should probably not have been contained for that long, in such circumstances. That incident is now part of several attempts to bring class-action suits against police forces that participated in the G20 weekend. But one of those police forces never trained its officers to employ kettling, documents given to The Globe indicate. Moreover, it is the RCMP stated policy “always” to give crowds a way out. An access-to-information request filed by Murray Klippenstein, a lawyer behind one of the class-action suits now awaiting certification, revealed hundreds of pages of documents – including copies of powerpoint presentations – relating to crowd-control and use-of-force training the RCMP gives its officers. A letter from the RCMP to Mr. Klippenstein reads, “a complete review of the RCMP Tactical Operational Manual and the Critical Incident Program documentation confirms that no RCMP policies, procedures or training materials make reference to the use of the kettling technique.” What is more, the letter says, “all tactical troops policies and related public order training materials clearly stipulate that crowds will always be afforded/provided with an escape route.” “The main characteristic of crowd control is to leave an opening so people can go, so you don’t corner people,” Normand Sirois, a reviewer and analyst with the RCMP’s access-to-information division, said in an interview Tuesday. “If you do that, and you succeed in controlling the crowd, you don’t … shut all exits or safe ways for the crowd to get away.” When pressed for details on why the RCMP has no kettling policy, spokeswoman Julie Gagnon said the practice “is just not part of our standard tactics and techniques.” It’s not clear what kind of communication took place regarding different forces’ crowd-control tactics leading up to or during the G20 weekend, during which more than 1,000 people were arrested. But Mr. Klippenstein said the revelation is one more indication of the communications breakdown between disparate security forces working together that weekend. “It shows conflict between the approaches of the police, and also that they didn’t resolve them,” he said. If the leading police force in the unified police structure has a no-kettling practice, and yet massive kettling occurred, does that mean [the ISU] considered this and overrode the RCMP policy? Or did they just not consider it when they undertook this massive kettling? “Did the reasons for the RCMP not adopting kettling suddenly not apply in Toronto? And does that make any sense?” At the time, Toronto police Staff Superintendent Jeff McGuire said the kettling of apparently peaceful protesters was a necessary public-safety measure because police had seen several protesters in the black gear associated with Black Bloc members, who had smashed windows downtown the day before. “Some weapons were found along the route,” he said at the time. Months later, Chief Blair told The Globe’s editorial board that things probably should have happened differently that soggy afternoon. “We probably could have and should have reacted quicker,” he said in September. “When I became aware of [the ongoing containment], I said, ‘That’s it, release them all immediately and unconditionally,’ and that was done. But it probably could have happened sooner.” Toronto Police spokesman George Christopoulos declined to say whether Toronto police have kettling protocol, and that such information would be released only after a freedom-of-information request. (Mr. Klippenstein said he has filed a request with Toronto police but has not received a response) A plethora of reviews into police conduct over the G20 weekend have emerged, in addition to at least two class-action suits awaiting certification. Alan Young, of Osgoode Hall Law School lawyer, said it should not come as a surprise that certain police forces don’t have policies on kettling, which has been used around the world – usually when police fear a dangerous element in a crowd. “I don’t find there’s much policy direction given to police,” he said. “A lot of policing is done on what I call crisis management: If a problem explodes publicly, then they address it.” Published on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011 3:00AM EST

Myself and most of Canada agree with you. Unfortunately Vancouver is now blackballed as a world class city. It will take a lifetime to return this town to its former standing in the world. We can thank all the young male BCers for ruining our image. Those that rioted, and the tens of thousands of those that didn’t stop them. There were thousands more standing by that could’ve stopped them but they were cowards, and failed to stop the ruination and disgrace of a once world class city. Now these young and old alike will live in Vancouver, an ugly city, with an disgraceful riot history like Watts and Detroit. Shame on you rioters and coward spectators for ruining my once beautiful, friendly city. RIP Vancouver

It’s a sad day for all Canadians. We fell in love with Vancouver during the Olympics. We got sick to our stomachs watching this. The city of Vancouver and to some extents all of Canada will have to live with this for years …

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM HOCKEY IS A RIOT————–Hockey News 2011: Furious fans run riot in Vancouver after the Canucks lose the Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins. Cars and garbage cans were set ablaze, beer bottles were thrown at outdoor viewing screens and broken glass littered the streets. 2010: Looters smashed windows and clashed with police on Montreal’s Ste-Catherine St. after the Canadiens defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the final game of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. At least 25 people were arrested. 2008: Cars were burned and downtown stores were trashed after the Canadiens beat the Boston Bruins to advance to the second round that season’s playoffs. 2006: When the Edmonton Oilers clinched the Western Conference title and advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs, fans began setting fires and looting along Whyte Ave. Police made about 15 arrests and reprimanded hockey lovers for partying irresponsibly. The Oilers went on to lose the final. 1994: Fans disappointed by the Vancouver Canucks Stanley Cup final loss to the New York Rangers flooded downtown streets after the deciding match, smashing windows and causing more than a million dollars in damage. Both city police and the RCMP were called in to subdue the crowd believed to number at least 50,000. More than 200 people were injured, the most serious being a teenager who was shot in the head by police with a rubber bullet and suffered permanent brain damage. 1993: Montreal’s Stanley Cup victory over the Los Angeles Kings turned ugly when fans began vandalizing stores and setting police cars ablaze. Nearly 170 people were injured and more than 100 were arrested. The violence caused an estimated $2.5 million in damage. 1986 – Some 5,000 jubilant Montreal fans celebrating the Canadiens’ Stanely Cup win over the Calgary Flames rampaged through the city’s downtown. Officials were so poorly prepared that Quebec courts ruled police criminally negligent. 1955: Violence broke out in the streets of Montreal after star forward Maurice Richard was handed a stiff suspension. Richard broke his stick over a Boston Bruins player and hit a linesmen, causing the NHL to suspend him for all remaining games including potential playoff matches. Habs fans rioted in protest of the ruling, which many interpreted as a prejudicial decision based in part on Richard’s francophone heritage. There were roughly 100 arrests and $100,000 worth of property damage during the riot.

Anarchists were present and did start things. There were a lot of people who wanted to take advantage of the situation. Anarchists were clearly one of them. They say they didn’t get charged the first time so they came back to do it again. After that started other idiots joined in. Tom Jones http://anarchistnews.org/?q=node/14801

Kim, your suggestions are practical, realistic and would create an atmosphere of redemption and accountability. Both are required. Only those who have the courage to say could have been me; could have been my kid….” will understand that, though. Gary Mason wrote a thoughtful piece in the Globe & Mail yesterday about speaking the truth about who the rioters are: “The kid next door.” http://www.theglobeandmail.com/…/article2066321 Today’s province headlines read: “Heroes and Villians.” As if there are only two camps. We are all of us both, and everything in between. Christy Clark has been thoughtless, no, careless, with her remarks. What she says will happen is impossible and unrealistic. Chu has a hand up his shirt moving his mouth. The mayor is soon up for re-election. It’s been disappointing and disheartening to listen to their binary thinking. It’s ridiculous. It’s not how life is at all. This is an opportunity for all of us to take the higher road. Accountability, yes. Vigilante-ism? No! Here is a poem that speaks to who we all are. Garry Paterson, the minister at St. Andrews-Wesley United church (who used to work in the DES) read it to his congregation this morning, and reminded his listeners that we ALL “jump and are pushed”. We are motivated internally and externally, and all of us are capable of doing what the “rioters” did. And as human beings, ALL are deserving of grace and redemption. Create an atmosphere of accountability and grace. “Essay on Adam” by Robert Bringhurst (b. 1946) There are five possibilities. One: Adam fell. Two: he was pushed. Three: he jumped. Four: he looked over the edge, and one look silenced him. Five: nothing worth mentioning happened to Adam. The first, that he fell, is too simple. The fourth, fear, we have tried. It’s useless. The fifth, nothing happened, is dull. The possibilities are these: he jumped or was pushed. And the difference between them is only an issue of whether the demons work from the inside out or from the outside in: the one theological question. KIM SAYS: So good to hear from you again SDS! How are you?

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM .Chief Jim Chu says it was his decision how many officers to deploy without political interference. Premier Clark said she committed all the resources that were requested. Mayor Gregor Robertson claims there was no advance warning of trouble. The Vancouver Police Union says there was indeed advance warning a riot would take place I say,the Empress has no clothes .The leader is so arrogant and stuck on herself that when her cronies tell her she is doing good she carries on believing it even when she knows it isn’t true. And that the yes-men only say what the Empress wants to hear even though it’s obviously untrue

Anyone in their right mind, would never do something like this. Drunk or high. I’m ashamed of these people especially the white sports lad from Maple Ridge.. Book ’em Dano…OF COURSE! The mayor, chief of police & Christy Clark are not the ones to blame. It was a bunch of child like thugs!

You remember that foreign born anarchist that snuck into BC in the middle of the night to cause a riot? He is a white Canadian, son of a Maple Ridge doctor. Are all you Canadians so gullible as to accept the Premiere and head cops explanation of “Anarchists”caused the riot? You know they say that because that lets them off the hook of responsibilty if some cunning, professionally trained, expert, foreign anarchists are to blame. You Canadian bought it hook, line and sinker. Shame on you. As I said from the beginning everyone involved was your next door neighbor who had parents that failed miserably. First thing you need to do is demand the resignation of the chief of police and the Premiere for duping all of you.

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM. Children of tomorrow I apologize to you On behalf of those in my time For the things we didn’t do We didn’t stop the tyrants So your fate could be prevented We watched them steal our freedom By our silence we consented We didn’t choose to circumvent The doom you’ve not escaped While the Canadian Bill of Rights was murdered , And The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms raped Some of us were lazy Others too afraid To think about our children The ones we have betrayed I guess we were too busy To be concerned or care To try to ease the burden Of the chains we made you wear We could have been good shepherds When the wolf got in the fold But we watched the flame of freedom die instead And left you cold I’m sorry we were timid My selfish generation We left you but a remnant Of a free and prosperous nation I’m sorry for our actions Like cowards we behaved We could have left you freedom Instead you are enslaved Children of tomorrow Descendants of our land I’m sorry we allowed this The fate you now with stand

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM. The reason the delta school board doesn’t want to Identify the students.– one day these will be the working class of this country. Perhaps politicians and business people You are young, my son, and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters.

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM. Canadians once said they wanted “peace, order and good government.” Curiously, this is exactly what the corporate parasite fascists want too. Turn in your neighbours, turn in your friends, turn in the fellow you’ve been quarrelling with, it all seems so familiar, off to Guantanamo Bay with anyone who ain’t “us”…imperialist tendencies will always come back home to roost

The only reason why half these idiots stood around and did nothing is because they were more concerned about having something cool to post on their Facebook page. This is how pathetic the youth of today is. 30 years ago people would have beaten these idiots like rented mules, but today the majority of people stand around so they can feign outrage the day after or brag about how cool it was to be a part of history. This riot is product of people not having to take any responsibility for their lives within the modern Trudeau nanny state that is Canada. My only hope is that they can be outer on the same social media sites they would have posted to if things hadn’t gotten as out of hand as it did. Vigilante Justice will prevail as the courts no longer do.

Kim, why not look into why the Delta School Board has told it’s employees ie teachers, not to provide the police with identifications. Hmm, so the teachers recognize the vandals and the school board does not want the students to be held accountable, nice message. KIM SAYS: Interesting. Can you email me any more info on this – kbolan@vancouversun.com?

the rioters were not outsiders. it was your son, your nephew, your next door neighbor’s son. these were native born vancouverites who live across the street from you. don’t pretend these young men were recruited by some outside force, and bussed in to riot. not the case. these are your drunken office clerks, construction workers, bank tellers, UBC students that have been raised by Vancouver parents. there is nothing to stop them so it can and will happen again in Vancouver.

I agree with your comment Vancouver Real Estate = Drug Money, “The riot just reflects the same disregard for the law and civil society as does the support of the illegal drug trade, money laundering and stock fraud.” What I find amazing is that these kids are playing up to the camera and posting the evidence of their criminal behaviour on the internet – like they’re proud of their participation. So 1000s of middle-class BC kids not only have the same disregard for the law and civil society as their parents do, they don’t even know (or care) that they’re breaking the law.

Vandalism and theft charges should go to automatic fines. Dropping those charges would be wrong. Telling someone it’s OK to set a car on fire because the charges would be dropped or it’s OK to loot in a riot because the charges will be dropped will only perpetuate the problem like a wild fire. They should pay fines or civil damages.

Christy Clark this is your fault. You Seared us, put us out to Bay, there are Chapters missing… Come clean Clarke. Lead by example. You looted us. When the BC legislature sparked a RIOT, you ran and hid. You need to take the boards down and put up the windows into the BC rail deal. Christy Clarke you have done more damage to our province than what happened on June 15th. YOU are the anarchist. Now do the right thing. We know WHO you are.

The thing is Ms. Clark has zero credability. One needs to only look at the entire Basi Virk affair. The MSM loves Ms. Clark, The Sun and Vaughn Palmer are her bigges cheerleaders. There is a blogger who has numerous files too bad the MSM didn’t nor won’t ask her the tough questions.

Funny how even half of the media condemn the bystanders who stood around lolligagging, that old grunp on cknw and mike smyth held them in the same level of guilt as the actual riioters. Ironic considering that the VPD and province are pleading for these same people to share the videos or pictures. What to do in the aftermath of the riot? Get rid of dinosaurs in the media, young and old. Just like you said Kim, many were glued to the images on our television, are we to blame too? No, neither are the people who witnessed it. Traditional media, like the two previous radio hosts, together, are a thing of the past. There seems to be a riot every other month in Montreal, Why worry about the aftermath, the real vancouverites cleaned up the mess by the boatloads. A bunch of hatefilled people with small impressional brains tricked a bunch of adrenaline filled young intoxicated men into supporting their cause. The irony of the situation is that picture of the kissing couple, talk about a shot of a lifetime. Guaranteed in a Time Magazine Picturebook on a coffee table near you. To keep dwelling on it is pointless, it hapend, we know.

I know first hand of the insidious corruption that exists involving the government and organized crime. I know so much but I cannot share. I have a family, and I need my career to support them. So many people think this is untrue, I wish they know what I do.

Vancouver Real Estate = Drug Money Good luck with that investigation, the justice system currently cannot process all the cases it has in the dockets, is unable to provide protection to the courts, and is faced with the fact that even if convicted there is no place to put all the criminals.The Fiberals in their 10 years of power have turned British Colombia into a crime super power, with the support of the power behind their throne,organized crime, have closed over half the court houses and just over half the prisons in the province. Build a society on crime, end up with nothing but a society of criminals. Take a good look in the mirror British Colombia,your a third world nacro state,that is ground zero for financial fraud, money laundering,international organized crime operations. What the heck do you think is going to be the end result of making the illegal drug trade the largest industry in the province. The riot just reflects the same disregard for the law and civil society as does the support of the illegal drug trade, money laundering and stock fraud.

Now policitians are committing what will no doubt be millions of dollars to a task force assigned to find those who committed criminal acts during the riot. Then there will be the inquiry, announced by Premier Christy Clark Friday, to review what went wrong. WTF—–A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.————- changing of the guard ,my name will be Paul not Peter.

If you acted normally, then all this damage and unecessary stuff would have never happened. Young males & some females are defiant and hard to understand. There are different ways to act. This was not one of the ways! The great memories are ruined because of dozens of small minded people on the night of June 15, 2011…You will be caught! No question about that!

Meet & greet mode was excellent for the beginning of the night. It’s too bad the more negative image had to take place after the Bruins won…VPD did all that they could under the circumstances. Drunk defense never counts!!! There is no need to riot because it’s a weak male’s way to deal with things in the community. There could have been rioting if the Canucks won instead! It was a lame excuse to get FREE STUFF from stores. GROW UP, DUMBOS!

greggie and achoo are both covering their butts.the hammer needs to come down on all involved.those that were told to leave,,now,, and did not,,staying in the way of a proper response,,should be brought to account..any violence at all and the hammer is brought out..softy,,touchy,,feelee,cops do not protect aanybody.. here is your chance to show the world you can protect citizens frowm the childish morons in our midst. WHAT WILL YOU DO????

Hopefully this lefty soft on crime drivel will go nowhere. Breaking windows is a serious crime. What kind of message does is send to let these people off the hook? Want to guarantee another riot? Do what is suggested in this post.